This article examines the effects of U.S. health policies on health care access for Marshallese migrants, discusses the historical and current relationship between the United States and the Marshallese people living in both the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the United States, and offer policy recommendations to improve health care access and reduce health inequalities for Marshallese persons living in the United States. The article focuses on multiple health care issues and challenges facing the Marshallese migrants in the U.S. First and foremost, the vast majority of this population living in the United States are noncitizens and their status limits their access to many public benefits. This can be partly explained by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 (PRWORA) that restricted access to federally funded programs (e.g Medicaid and CHIP, and Medical expansion) for most legal immigrants, including Marshallese migrants. Secondly, the health policies in regards to this population vary from state to state. For instance, in the post-PRWORA era, Hawaii …show more content…
As a result, many Marshallese persons are motivated to migrate to the United. Finally, even though the Affordable Care Act has expanded health coverage options in the United States, private health insurance (made possible by the ACA) remains too expensive for Marshallese migrants and their families because many of them work in food-processing or service industries, which generally offer limited health insurance benefits or the cost of covering multiple family members/relatives may be prohibitively
One of the most controversial topics in the United States in recent years has been the route which should be undertaken in overhauling the healthcare system for the millions of Americans who are currently uninsured. It is important to note that the goal of the Affordable Care Act is to make healthcare affordable; it provides low-cost, government-subsidized insurance options through the State Health Insurance Marketplace (Amadeo 1). Our current president, Barack Obama, made it one of his goals to bring healthcare to all Americans through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. This plan, which has been termed “Obamacare”, has come under scrutiny from many Americans, but has also received a large amount of support in turn for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons include a decrease in insurance discrimination on the basis of health or gender and affordable healthcare coverage for the millions of uninsured. The opposition to this act has cited increased costs and debt accumulation, a reduction in employer healthcare coverage options, as well as a penalization of those already using private healthcare insurance.
Cobb, Torry Grantham, DHSc, MPH,M.H.S., P.A.-C. (2010). STRATEGIES FOR PROVIDING CULTURAL COMPETENT HEALTH CARE FOR HMONG AMERICANS. Journal of Cultural Diversity, 17(3), 79-83. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezp-01.lirn.net/docview/750318474?accountid=158556
There are an estimated 11.1 million undocumented immigrants currently residing in the United States. The current healthcare model pertains to all U.S citizens, but what are the parameters and regulations regarding those who live here illegally? The purpose of this paper is to not only answer this question, but also to address concerns regarding the provision of health care benefits, rights, and our ethical responsibilities to this population.
American Indians have had health disparities as result of unmet needs and historical traumatic experiences that have lasted over 500 hundred years.1(p99) Since first contact American Indians have been exposed to infectious disease and death2(p19), more importantly, a legacy of genocide, legislated forcible removal, reservation, termination, allotment, and assimilation3. This catastrophic history had led to generational historical traumas and contributes to the worst health in the United States.2 American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) represent 0.9 percent of the United States population4(p3) or 1.9 million AI/AN of 566 federally recognized tribes/nations.5 American Indians/Alaska Natives have significantly higher mortality rates of intentional and unintentional injuries, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease and chronic lower respiratory disease than other American.6
Yarova LA, Krassen Covan E, Fugate-Whitlock E. Effect of Acculturation and Health Beliefs on Utilization of Health Care Services by Elderly Women Who Immigrated to the USA From the Former Soviet Union. Health Care for Women International. 2013;34(12):1097-115.
Spector, R. E. (2009). Health and illness in the American Indian and Alaska native population. Cultural Diversity in Health and Illness (7th ed.). (pp. 204-228). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Despite the established health care facilities in the United States, most citizens do not have access to proper medical care. We must appreciate from the very onset that a healthy and strong nation must have a proper health care system. Such a health system should be available and affordable to all. The cost of health services is high. In fact, the ...
Lee, S. &. (2009). Disparities in access to health care among non-citizens in the United States. Health Sociology Review , 18 (3), 307-317.
According to Penner et al. (2013), there are various causes of healthcare disparities, such as socioeconomic status; this results to poor healthcare services for people with low socioeconomic status, as people with low pay find it difficult to leave their work to seek healthcare help, or to afford healthcare insurance (p.4). The second cause is language proficiency. The language barriers faced by the immigrant plays a role in the healthcare disparities among the racial or ethnic minority patients. Another cause is health literacy. The levels of the health literacy among the foreign born individuals can be influenced by their higher level of distrust of the healthcare providers and healthcare system than they have towards Caucasian people. This, in turn, leads them to seek healthcare information less often than their Caucasian counterparts, thus hindering the provision of quality services, as well as limiting the foreign patients’ ability to manage their health conditions effectively. The foreigners’ failure to easily accept the information provided to them by healthcare providers puts them at risk. Disentangling the role of health literacy in racial healthcare disparities from the effects of racial attitudes and beliefs is often hard (Penner et al,
The individuals that are part of the special population each carry a unique set of needs. The best way to complete such a task is applying non prejudice judgments. Also, the poor is more susceptible to having a part time job and or working for a smaller organization which in turn leads to unable to pay for health coverage. Many Americans will opt out of insurance because of the cost or some employers simple do not offer insurance. The United States at this point is trying to resolve the complex challenges that is rising in health care. Accessing health care resources is furthermost essential contribution factor for ethnic disparities in health. Reduced access to care is in part caused by difficulties within the minority’s
As part of my Culture, Health and Illness class, I undertook a critical analysis of the book “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures” by Anne Fadiman. This book was published in 1997, and documents the struggle of a Hmong family from Laos in communicating with and understanding the American health system.
The growing number of uninsured and underinsured is on the rise. In 1979, 11 million African americans were uninsured (Jaffe 10). Today, the number is 15 million and it is increasing every year (Jaffe 11). According to the Department of Health and Human Services, thirteen million blacks in America have health care and fourteen million do not (Fitzgerald 31). Also, those who are insured today may be at risk tomorrow if their employer drops coverage, or the head of the household changes or loses their job. Most blacks in the United States who are uninsured simply cannot receive health care at an affordable price because their employer does not offer it and self-insurance cost much more. The lack of adequate insurance can be devastating to families both in financial terms and in terms of timely access to needed health care (Jaffe 12). Altogether, collection agencies report every year that most blacks are in debt due to unpaid medical bills, because they are not insured or they are underinsured.
In 1954 another landmark act was passed in which all functions relating to the health and maintenance of healthcare to Indian Nations was given to the Surgeon General of the United States Public Health System (Wallechinsky). Within a year 48 hospitals, 18 health centers and 13 school infirmaries had been ...
Therefore, providing culturally appropriate services for people has significant role for health professional; the main reasons of this is culturally appropriate services are linked inextricably with the health of the clients. According to Oda & Rameka (2012), in 1980s, Maori were experience racial discrimination and that is linked to higher rate of illness on Maori, such as mental illness, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, cancer, mortality, and health-risk behaviors such as tobacco and alcohol consumption. This is the results of unfair health service. During to the research (Oda & Rameka, 2012), people are more attempt not to see the doctor when they are experiencing discrimination and it makes their mortality higher than other non- Maori. Another factor could be Maori are not unable to access the health information and there was poor health literacy in that era and they were not able to understand different disease and lack of health education of living with a healthy lifestyle (Oda & Rameka, 2012). A classic example can be seen in the consumption of tobacco and alcohol, at the era, people did not know the repercussion of tobacco and alcohol use, but if they were able to access the information they would understand the
An individual’s culture and belief may significantly impact the type of services they require. In addition, it may affect the time, place, and method in the delivery of health care